Hay-rake.



No- 738,819 PATENTED SEPT. 15, 1903. L. 0 KNAPB, I; S STEPHENSON & 0. P. VROOM.

HAY RAKE.

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L. O. KNAPP, T. S. STEPHENSON & O. P. VROOM.

HAY RAKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1a, 1903.

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PATENT rrion.

LEWVIS O. KNAPP, THOMAS S. STEPHENSON, AND OLER P. VROOM, OF

- LINNEUS, MISSOURI.

HAY-RAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 738,819, dated September 15, 1903.

Application filed May 13, 1903. Serial No. 156,989. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEWIS O. KNAPP, THOMAS S. STEPHENSON, and OLER P. VROOM, citizens of the United States, residing at Linneus, in the county of Linn and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Hay-Rake, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hay-rakes, more particularly to hay-rakes of the type commonly known as push-rakes.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a rake of the type specified, a rakehead of truss-frame structure with the parts therein so disposed that the head will effectively resist the strains to which it is subjected.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for raising and lowering the rake.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the invention is better understood, the same consists in the construction and combination of parts of a hay-rake hereinafter described, shown in the accom panying drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by the same characters of reference throughout the various views in which they appear, and the novel features of which are pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a View of the rake in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a view from the rear of the rakehead and the supporting-wheels. Fig. 4: is a detail view, in transverse section, through the rake-head. Fig. 5 is a detail View, partly in elevation and partly in section, showing the mode of mounting the hand-lever and triplever upon the supporting-frame and the connection between the hand-lever and the lifterbars Referring to the drawings by reference characters, 1 1 are the side bars of the pushframe of the rake.

2 is a rear cross-bar.

3 3 are diagonal brace-bars bolted to the cross-bars 2 and the side bars 1 l, and 4 is the forward cross-bar.

5 5 are doubletrees mounted upon the side bars 1 1 near their rear ends, as shown, being secured in position thereon by means of bolts 18, which pass through straps 18, mounted upon the upper surface of the side bars 1 l and through the doubletrees and the side bars. The doubletrees 5 5 are connected at their inner ends with acasting 20, hereinafter to be described, by means of links 19, engaging eyes on the casting and on the doubletrees.

6 6 are lifter-bars connected at their rearward ends by means of a casting 20 and diverging as they extend forward to be con nected at their forward ends by kn uckle-bolts 21 with the rake-head, hereinafter to be described. The lifter-bars 6 6, together with connections presently to be described, form means whereby the rake may be lifted from time to time to cause the load of hay thereon to slide back against the rake-head, where it may be supported without the danger of loss and be carried from the part of the field where it had been gathered to the stack.

Projecting downwardly from the rear crossbar 2 above mentioned are a pair of forked hangers 7, in which are journaled wheels 8, which support the rear portion of the pushframe. The hangers 7 have a swiveled con nection with the cross-bar 2, so as to adjust themselves automatically to the direction of movement of the rake, and are preferably curved backward, as shown.

At the extreme rear of the push-frame and over the median line thereof is provided a drivers seat 10, which is supported, as usual, upon a spring 9, the lower end of which is secured in any suitable manner to a casting 1 1, which is bolted to the rear cross-bar 2.

Pivotally connected to the rear cross-bar 2, at its front side, is a hand-lever 11,' which is mounted to swing on a pivot 15, provided in a casting 15, which is bolted to the cross-bar 2. .The hand-lever 11 is also connected, by means of a pivot 16, with the casting 20, to which the two lifter-bars 6 are secured at their rear ends, as already stated. Above the point at which the lever ll is attached to casting 20 is a pivot 16, upon which is mounted a dog 13, which is slotted at its forward end, where it is attached to the lever 11, and also at 13, where an opening is provided for the passage of a trip-lever 12, presently to be described. The dog 13 is downwardly curved at its rear extremity to form a hook, and the slot 13 is closed at both ends, the forward end being closed bya transverse portion 13", which separates the slotted forward end from slot 13, and the rear end of slot 13 being closed by the transverse portion 13, so that the rearward end of the dog is solid. The dog 13 is adapted to engage with a recess 12, provided on the rear surface of trip-lever12, near thelower end thereof, in order to lock the hand-lever 11 in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so holding the rake in elevated position. r v i The trip-lever 12 is pivotally mounted between two upwardly-projecting lugs 14: on the casting 14 and is provided at its upper end with a cross-bar 22, which forms a footrest. portion of trip-lever 12 is limited by contact of the lower end thereof, which is formed into a hook 12, with the surface of the casting 14, which lies between the lugs 14. The forward movement of trip-lever 12 is limited by the contact of the upper end thereof with hand-lever 11, as shown in solid linesin Fig. 1.

The rake-head comprises horizontal tubular members 25 and 26, to which are bolted the rake-teeth 27, and a horizontal member 28, disposed above the tubular member 25 and connected with both the tubular members by means of vertical and oblique braces,which are now to be described. Extending upward from the tubular member. 25 at intervals throughout its length are a plurality of uprights 29, which are securely fastened to the horizontal member'28, and between the uprights 29, arranged in the manner shown, are the oblique members 30, the lower ends of which are connected with the tubular member 25 at its ends and at its middle point and Whose upper ends are secured to the horizon-- tal member 28 at points midway between those at which their lower ends are secured to horizontal member 25. The structure as thus far described is effective in preventing bending of the rake-head in a vertical plane, and in order to prevent bendingin a horizontal plane members are provided counecting'horizontal member'26 with horizontal member 28, these members comprising the short braces 31, which extend downwardly from the tops of the uprights of the vertical brace members 29 in the manner shown, and the long brace members 32, which are attached at their upper ends to the outer ends of the horizontal member 28 and are inclined downwardly, inwardly,'and rearwardly to connect with horizontal member 26 at points some distance from the ends. The horizontal tubular member 25 serves as an axle for wheels 35, which support the rake and the forward end of the push-frame. The wheels 35 are located adjacent to the forward ends of side frame members 1 1, which are provided at their forward ends with downwardly-curved castings 36, having openings in their ends in which the tubular member 25 is journaled in order to The rearward movement of the upper provide for the lifting of the rake. Y Over the forward upper surface. of the wheels35 are placed shields 37.to prevent contact of the hay and wheels with consequent Waste of the hay with the possibility of jamming the wheels. These shields are of the ordinary segmental form andare secured at their lower ends to the rake-teeth and at their upper ends to the horizontal member 28.

The upright brace members 29 are not all of equal length; but two of them which lie near the wheels 35 extend a short distance above the horizontal member 28 and form means for connectingthe knuckle-bolts 21 at the ends of lifter-bars 6 with the rake-head.

The horses or other draft-animals for propelling the rake are hitched one on either side of the push-frame by means of swingletrees 40, mounted in the usual way upon doubletrees 5, and the rings 41, connected by pivoted rods 42 with the rake-head, as shown.

In operation when it is desired to hold the rake-teeth in contact with the ground the driver sits with his feet upon the foot-rest 22, provided by the upper end of the foot-lever l2, and presses lightly or firmly against the foot-rest, according as he desires to hold the rake-teeth lightly or firmly in contact with the ground over which the rake is passing. The foot-rest contacts with the lever 11, which forces forward the casting 20, to which the lifter-bars are attached, and these bars through the knuckle-bolts 21 force the upper portion of the rake-head forward and keep the rake-teeth in contact with the ground.- When it is desired to rest the rake-teeth out of contact with the ground, the driver will remove his feet from the foot-rest 22 and grasping the hand-lever 11 will pull backward thereon. The pull upon the hand-lever 11, supplemented by the tractive efiort of the draft-animals exerted upon the doubletrees 5, will swing the doubletrees so as cause their inner ends to move backward and will draw the lifter-bars backward to the same extent, thereby tilting the rake-head and causing the forward end of the rake-teeth to be elevated, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the lever 11 reaches the rearmostlimi't of its movement, the dog 13 will under the influence of gravity have swung downward until the hook at the rearward end thereof lies in engagement with the recess 12*, provided on the trip-lever 12, and will remain in this position until released. When the forward ends of the rake-teeth are elevated in the manner just explained, the hay thereon will slide backward against the rake-head and be held in convenient position for hauling 'to the place for stacking. In order to return the rake to its lowered position, the driver will once more place his feet upon the foot-rest 22 and press the upper end of the trip-lever 12 forward, so causing the lower end to swing backward and to raise the dog 13 so that it will pass out of the recess 12 as hand-lever 11 is forced forward by the contact of the'footrest 22 therewith. It will be observed that by means of the construction described in preceding paragraphs an efiective mechanism is provided for supporting the rake-teeth so that they will not be thrown out of alinement by the strain to which the apparatus is subjected, and a very simple and effective means is provided for raising and'lowering the raketeeth when desired.

The apparatus possesses all of the advantages commonly found in rakes of this type, such as adaptability for use near fences and ditch-banks when it is desirable to gather the hay therefrom and a rake of the dragfltype cannot be used.

The locking-dog and the trip-lever form an important part of the invention, as they constitute means whereby the rake is automatically locked in elevated position, and it may be instantly released whenever it is desirable to lower the rake into contact with the ground.

Having thus described the construction and operation of our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, rs-

1. In a rake of the class described, a rakehead comprising two tubular horizontal members to which the rake-teeth are bolted, a horizontal member above the forward one of said tubular members, vertical and oblique brace members connecting said upper horizontal member with said tubular members, two of said oblique brace members being attached at their outer ends to the ends of upper horizontal member and being inclined downwardly, inwardly and rearwardly and attached to the rear one of said tubular members.

2. The combination in a rake of the class described,ofa push-frame, a pivotally-mounted rake, lifter-bars associated with said rake, a hand-lever associated with said lifter-bars, a trip-lever also mounted on said frame and provided with a recess on the back thereof, and a locking-dog pivotally mounted on said hand-lever and adapted to engage the recess on said trip-lever to hold said rake in elevated position.

3. The combination in a rake of the class described, of a push-frame, a rake pivotally mounted at the forward end of said pushframe, lifter-bars associated with said rake, a hand-lever pivotally mounted at the rearward end of said push-frame and connected ,with said lifter-bars, a trip-lever also mounted on said push-frame, and provided with a recess on the back thereof, alocking-dog pivotally mounted on said hand-lever and having its rear end bent backwardly to form a hook adapted to engage the recess provided therefor on said trip-lever.

4. The combination in a rake of the class described, of a supporting-frame, a rake pivotally mounted at one end of said frame, means for raising and lowering said rake, said means comprising a hand-lever, connections between said hand-lever and said rake, a triplever,a dog pivotally mounted upon said handlever and having a slot for the passage of a trip-lever, a trip-lever extending through the slot in said dog, and having a recess on its rearward surface and a hook formed at the rearward end of said dog and adapted to engage said recess.

5. The combination in a rake of the class described, of a supporting-frame, a rake pivotally mounted at one end of said frame and means for raising and lowering said rake, said means comprising a pivoted hand-lever, .a pivoted trip-lever having a recess on the back thereof near the lower end and adapted to contact at its upper end with said hand-lever, a foot-rest at the upper end of the trip-lever and a locking-dog pivotally mounted on the hand-lever and adapted to engage the recess on the trip-lever. 6. The combination in a rake of the class described of a supporting-frame, a rake pivotally mounted at one end of said frame, doubletrees mounted at the other end of said frame, lifter-bars connected at one end with said rake and at the other end with said doubletrees, a pivoted hand-lever also connected with said lifter-bars, a pivoted trip-lever having the upper end thereof adapted to con tact with said hand-lever and a foot-rest provided on said trip-lever near the upper end thereof.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of witnesses.

LEWIS O. KNAPP. THOMAS S. STEPHENSON. OLER P. VROOM.

Witnesses:

GREELY MOORE, W. O. MOORE, ETHEL ANKENMAN. 

